Customer Reviews

Bissell ProHeat 2X Healthy Home Upright Deep Cleaner, 66Q4

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My carpet is old and due for replacement. While this Bissell carpet cleaner couldn't remove years of wear, it did remove a surprising volume of dirt. At first, I didn't think it was really doing all that much. But once I emptied out the tank, my God, what a filthy carpet I was walking on! The used water was a very dark gray bordering on black. Yuck!

There's a handy little spinning wheel icon on the base of the unit (aka the flow gauge) that tells you if everything's going according to plan, or if you need to change the water, add cleaning fluid or some other issue. If it's spinning, you're in good shape. When it stops, you need to fill or empty the tank(s).

The cleaner has 4 different "custom clean" settings. I mostly used the "normal clean" setting and then switched to "heavy traffic" for the dirtiest regions. The "Dry Aire" feature sends hot air to your carpet to aid in drying. As I write this, my living room is somewhat humid and the floor is damp. I don't think it will take long to dry though.

A small bottle of Bissell cleaning solution is included. Do yourself a favor and buy a larger bottle before this item arrives. You'll go through it pretty quickly, so probably best to buy a decent sized refill in advance of delivery. Otherwise, you are flat-out going to run out of cleaning fluid before the job is done.

So what's not to like? Well, it's somewhat heavy and bulky. For someone small and weaker, it might be a bit hard to move around. Obviously, it rolls on the carpet fine, so that's not an issue. But it's a big unit and you probably need at least a little bit of muscle (but not too much) to use it properly. The tank filled with water might be a bit heavy for some as well. You carry it like a bucket, but toting around a bucket full of water and bending down to insert and remove the tank isn't a simple thing for someone without a moderate amount of strength.

Assembly was quite easy. You put the top half into the bottom half and secure it with 3 Phillips screws. Nothing too tricky there. The tool rack requires a touch more attention. The illustration was not as clear as I would have liked and it took a bit of head scratching to figure out where a couple of tools sit on the rack. You'll figure it out, but again the illustration could be clearer.

While the top of the hose rack secures with a screw, the bottom does not. I noticed that one other reviewer said that the bottom of the rack (no screw to secure it) would not stay in place. I initially had the same problem. However, I looked at that bottom rack a bit closer and there's a tab that needs to snap in place and if you don't do it just right, it will keep falling off. Play with it and you'll see what I mean. If that bottom hose rack is popping off, you probably haven't installed it correctly. It's not hard, but you need to slide the lower hose rack piece in just right so that it clicks and locks into place. It's not just gravity that's holding it in place, but that's what you'll think if you don't do it right.

The only other problems I had was that my knee and/or the cord kept knocking the hose off of the hose rack and onto the floor. I'm no engineer, but I think it could somehow be secured a bit better. Once, I knocked the hose off and then put it back on the rack. However, the head's trigger was pushed on the stain brush, which I didn't notice. By the time I discovered that the button was pushed, my leg was very wet and the brush had soaked my wallet and remote control. Fortunately, they are fine, but keep an eye on that so you don't spray cleaning fluid where you don't want it. Also, the coiled power cord rests right next to the coiled hose and they interfere with each other. I can't help but think that they could have designed this a bit better.

I went back and forth as to whether to give this unit 4 or 5 stars. If you solely look at whether it does what you expect it to, it's a 5 star item. It cleans your carpet well and gets out a lot of visible dirt. There are a few minor issues, but overall this is a nice carpet cleaner and it cleans very well. However, I knocked that hose off so many times either with my knee or the cord that I have to give it 4 stars.

I think that this Bissell will go a long way towards keeping your carpets looking nice and potentially extending the life of your flooring. I recommend it, despite a few minor issues.

I had previously owned a Bissell ProHeat back in 2002 and felt that there was a lot of money invested in a cleaner that didn't really show a lot of promise. When I moved across the country, I didn't feel much of a loss when the moving company accidentally "misplaced" the ProHeat. When I saw the newer 66Q4, I wanted to test it out in order to see if Bissell had made any marked improvements over their previous lines, and alas, there's not a whole lot of change.

For around $300, you're paying for a couple of things. First off, you're paying so that you can clean your carpet on your own time; no need to schedule a professional steam cleaning company to do it for you. You're also paying for the clean that comes with "washing" the carpet instead of just vacuuming up the dust and dirt that's accumulated between the fibers. Most professional steam cleaning companies charge around $100-200 for their services (obviously depending on the size of the house/apartment), so there is a lot to be said for just purchasing your own machine and cleaning when you need to. Unfortunately there has yet to be a single-unit device made that can match the power of the multi-thousand dollar units that the pro's use. The ProHeat is no exception to that rule. So the question comes down to: Will the ProHeat work well enough that your calls to the professionals is lessened? The answer is: Yes, however you will still call them on occasion when you want your carpets "really" clean.

If you are new to carpet cleaners, there are some generic things you should know that apply to all carpet cleaners:
- They are heavy and cumbersome, even without the liquid
- They are messy, both to use and to clean up
- They will probably end up smelling (think vacuum funk)
- They take a long time to use (3-4x's as long as a normal vacuum, not including dry time)
- The cleaners are expensive and get used up quickly, and arguably, unneeded

The unit itself worked as well as expected. The dual brushes do a good job of agitating the carpet fibers so that a significant portion of the dirt embedded gets dislodged. After cleaning the area was visually "brighter" than non-cleaned areas. However, unlike professional cleaners which have a huge suction pull behind their steaming process, the ProHeat does not do a good job of reaching into the carpet pad underneath. Therefore the ProHeat will do a good job of cleaning the surface stain, however it will not remove all traces of things like pet urine (after a good cleaning with the ProHeat, the black light will still glow). Using the spot cleaner along with a little bit of enzyme-based pet urine remover formula will help. Also, it should be noted that the brushes themselves are quite stiff, so if you are seeing a lot of carpet fiber ending up in the cleaning liquid, you may want to reconsider using a agitation-based cleaner (hypothetically you should already be seeing the same behavior with your vacuum).

All-in-all, the ProHeat isn't a bad unit, however if you're considering "upgrading" from a previous model, there's not much new here; nor has the core functionality been improved. If you've never owned a carpet cleaner and just need something to do a good carpet shampooing twice a year, this is a good buy (I would consider this a bit too bulky for a day-to-day spot cleaner) and the unit itself works great as long as you understand that it is not on par with a professional steam cleaning service.

I purchased this product primarily to clean upholstery in my small apartment. The cleaner itself is very well made, assembled solidly in just a few minutes, and delivered steam clean with great suction aft. The rinse feature is very helpful after to provide a thorough cleaning.

However, the hand attachment with the brush is worthless IMO - you'd be better off cleaning the furniture with a few damp rags and some soap and water. Since this was key to me buying the thing in the first place, I cannot give the product better than a 3 star rating.

I look at this as more my mistake than a fault in the product - carefully consider your own needs. It is some work and trouble to prepare and clean the unit after use. If you have children, pets, etc and have frequent clean-up needs as a result I think this product would be fine.

Bissell still makes quality products - if you really want a steam cleaner for home use, this is probably as good a buy as any. Consumer Reports rates it fairly (good, but not perfect).

This cleaner replaced a Hoover Steam Vac (my 3rd) that had lost suction. First impressions:

It was easy to put together. I didn't need the instructions, but I did need a long Phillips screwdriver. My short-bit rechargeable was too short for some of the 4 screws.

There was good, secure storage for the various attachments, plus a bag for holding them. I don't know what I am supposed to put in the bag, but I suppose it is useful for those that don't want to push around the machine with all of the attachments. Although I never use them, I like to have them on the machine. The bag has an easily removable Bissell tag and once removed it is a nice, but not terribly high quality, mesh bag that will work well for the beach.

I like that there is a heater to increase the water temperature as hot water is supposed to help in cleaning the average carpet, but I also like that it can be shut off for fragile items. The heater will increase your water temperature by 25F degrees, with a max temperature of 190F.

I was surprised that there is a separate container for the cleaning solution. You add the water to one area, soap to another, then set the mix to the dirt level you are dealing with. I like that you don't waste mixed solution or need to keep going over an area until you have used up what you have mixed. This machine came with a 16 oz. bottle of Bissell Multi Allergen cleaner (no pet cleaner, but I did get the lovely mesh beach bag!) The directions specify 5 oz. per gallon of hot water, which is the same as my bottle of Resolve cleaner.

I liked the separate shot of cleaning fluid that comes out the side on request. Great for hitting the spots of unknown origin.

There is also a setting for rinse, which does not add the soap from the separate section. Obviously this would not work if you pre-mixed the soap and water, but it is a feature I really like as I don't like soap residue on my carpets.

The tanks for clean and dirty water are one unit. They don't seem to hold as much as my old Hoover, but I also don't have to worry about the dirty water slopping around when emptying it. I noticed the clean water tank had a few suds in it when I was done, so I think there is a little cross-contamination. The water tank is actually a bladder and it was impossible to empty completely when I was done cleaning.

This did not come with a hard floor attachment, but says one is available from Bissell. My Hoover one never picked up much of the water, so I doubt if I will bother with this Bissell (my Hoover attachment does not fit).

It is easier to move around than the Hoover, partially because it is a little smaller in size and part because there is a habdle on the front that can be used when you want to lift the machine over something (like a rug you don't want to clean).

I appreciated the little spinninbg wheel that told me when I ran out of water or soap. It also clued me in when I put the water unit on incorrectly and so had no suction.

As far as cleaning, which is the big thing, it works about as well as my Hoover did before it started to lose suction. They may not be quite as good as a professional cleaning, but with multiple pets and lots of dirty feet, I don't go without having a carpet cleaner on hand. I think this is a great home machine and I recommend it.

I purchased my 2x pro heat about 1 month ago. Prior to this I used a low end Bissell which I thought was good, but with one pass on this new cleaner I was impressed.

I want everyone to know that I recommend this cleaner, it far surpasses my lower end Bissell and the high end Hoover I borrowed from the neighbor.

Reading some of these other reviews I understand the problems with some of the negative reviews.

One person writes that the cleaner left all the water on the floor. There is a red filter/flapper on the dirty water resivour. If you get too much foam in the container there is a flap that closes the intake so that the foam does not get sucked in the cleaner. Go dump the dirty water. Then check that red flapper and make sure it is not stuck to the intake. If it is just tap the container and it will flip back down. If it is sticking then you may be using too much cleaner.

When you finish up make sure you fill the soap container with water and run rinse water over the last part of your carpet. You are asking for trouble if you do not do this. Regardless of what Bissell says, get the soap out of the lines before storing the cleaner.

If the carpet is so dirty that the water is sucking up black. Between cleanings make sure all the moving mechanisms do not have stuff caught up in them. Your asking for a belt to break otherwise.

Do not be a fool and use some home brewed serum for carpet cleaner. Use Bissell carpet cleaner products. This cleaner has a heater on-board so the home brew stuff might cook and create chaos! Never use oxyclean or comporable products, they are desintegrators of plastic. You can use Bissells oxy proucts and I recommend them. This is how I lost my old cleaner. When I was speaking with the salesperson I heard a gasp when I told them of my cleaning serum.

Some people are just not mechanically inclined so they do not think about these simple things. I hope my review allows people to understand some of the bad reviews. There is nothing wrong with this cleaner...and if I ever need to contact their customer service and I get lousy service they will not hear the end of it.

I am a director of customer service for another company.

I purchased this product after a fair amount of research. Best price from Amazon, product came quickly and was easy to assemble. Got it on a Friday and started out on Saturday morning cleaning. Cleaned all the bedroom carpets and they look like new in 1/2 a day (3 bedrooms). I have two dogs and a cat and my beige bedroom carpets had taken a beating. Buy plenty of cleaner as the bottle that comes with it will only do one rug. This is an excellent value for the price - just be prepared to empty and refill the compartments. Also make sure you really vacuum well before you start. I also recommend the bissell pet odor and stain removing formula - works very well on those hard pet stains. When my husband walked into the house he immediately noticed the wonderful smell and clean carpets.

I've been using mine for awhile and have been quite pleased. After several uses, I've noticed a substantial color-shade difference between the carpet this has been used on and the carpet it has not been used on.

One of the great features about this unit is that it has the option to turn the ProHeat on or off. This is great for those of us with lots of rugs that cannot have hot water used on them. This cleaner has done a much better job on my rugs than on my carpet. I suspect it has something to do with the padding under the carpet, but I'm not sure. Some of my 20-yr old rugs look brand new after one use of this. I think part of it is that the suction is so substantial on this that while it is sucking up the solution, it actually yanks out a lot of the loose fibers that were making my rugs look a little tattered and frayed. They look great now.

I've used the spot cleaners around my car and it has done a great job, aside from the work this cleaner has done on my rugs, the ability to clean my car, myself, has been one of the great features. Makes it so easy to clean coffee spills, etc. out of the seats and floor carpets.

As for my home carpet, I still feel that professional cleaners do a better job, but for a home unit, this will work well if you use it a few times. Don't expect it to look professionally cleaned after only one use, especially if it has been a long time since your last carpet cleaning.

This unit is very heavy for me. I had to have my husband help me lug it up and down the stairs. The weight is something to consider if you aren't very strong and would need help toting it around your house. All-in-all, I'm very pleased. It's the best home unit I've ever used.

I figured since Felix- my elderly, male, long-haired cat was so integral in the testing of this product he should get some mention in the review. He certainly has provided plenty on which to put the Bissell 66Q4 through its paces. While he finds it to be pretty loud and scary while running, it is does a fine job of giving him a fresh-smelling "clean slate" on which to wreak his havoc :)

Seriously, this is my third Bissell so I have some experience with the evolution of their product. The newer models have a much better designed tank & nozzel system. Since the main suction piece is built on to the tank rather than part of the machine like it used to be, it is easy to rinse out any stuck clumps of CAT HAIR or carpet fuzz. This model brings back the spinning flow gauge (indicates if soap or water has run out) that was dropped from last year's model. The best feature of this one is the "clean shot" which lets you pre-treat stains without having to run around with a squirt bottle. I found this to be quite effective on the many hairball hack sites.

My only complaints are 1. You have to almost stretch the hose to get it to wrap on its rack and be able to snap the tool end into the holder. Another 6-8" of length would allow it to store better. 2. All Bissells seem to produce a dribble of water drops out behind them. Of course you're going to work backwards out of a room but I find I usually have some spatter to clean up behind wherever I stop the machine.

If you have kids or pets, owning your own carpet cleaner is a must. The Bissell 66Q4 Proheat Cleaner is an excellent choice.

***update*** though I clean this thoroughly after each use, I have noticed substantial reduction in suction/water extraction from when it was new. I also get more and more drops of what appears to be dirty water being ejected from the area behind the suction nozzle. --sad--

I have severe allergies and a few times each year, we go through the ritual of cleaning the carpet, rugs and upholstered furniture. It's usually a pretty expensive adventure: the machine we rent costs about $20/day, plus all the potions to clean the rugs and furniture and to keep the dirty water from getting foamy. Each time, I feel happy if I get away with a bill of "only" $100 or so. Do this three or four times a year and you could do something a whole lot nicer than cleaning carpets.

So I get the Bissell 66Q4 ProHeat 2X Healthy Home Upright Deep Cleaner, so that I can clean up spills and smaller messes between machine rentals. A few days later, I had a huge (to me) 32 lb. box on my doorstep. It was the cleaner, and it was a whole lot sturdier and well made than I had anticipated. I decided to try it out the next morning, on stains and traffic areas that never got really clean with the rental machine, and on an off white microfiber recliner. Bissell sells and recommends a special anti-allergy cleaning potion for this machine, which is available on Amazon and from local sources, so that's what I got to try out the machine.

Getting the machine out of the box and ready to clean was a snap: much easier than the rental machine. The Bissell only required one potion: a little bottle of Multi-Allergen Cleanser (the green bottle) which was included in the box. (there was also a bottle of pet stain cleaning formula, but that didn't apply to us) Anyway, this machine requires that you fill the tank with hot water, like all the machines (the kind you buy or the kind you rent), but the Bissell Proheat Cleaner has a heating mechanism that keeps the water hot for the whole time that you're cleaning! The last strip of carpet gets water just as hot as the beginning strips. My husband (who was doing the actual cleaning), decided to clean the whole living room instead of just the high traffic areas, because the machine is easy to move around, unlike the heavy rental one.

In almost no time, the carpet rugs and furniture were all really, really, clean. I noticed no difference in quality between the rented machine and this one, except that we weren't a hundred dollars poorer, we didn't have a wet, stinky, heavy machine to tote back to the rental place, and my husband's back was not sore at all. I gave this machine four stars instead of five because it's cleaning carpets, not sipping margaritas on some warm, sunny beach; but this machine made it as painless and hassle free as cleaning carpets can ever be. And (and this is a big deal) we will clean the stuff much more often because it's no big deal to get a bottle of cleanser, instead of checking if the budget has the extra money to rent a machine and buy all the potions.

In receiving this product I was skeptical of how well it would clean my carpet. I previously owned the Dirt Devil Spot Scrubber and it did little more than pushing the stain around. Thankfully my skepticism was unfounded as this product did an amazing job on both set in stains as well as fresh stains.

The assembly of this product was relatively easy. For me it was interrupted because I realize that the screws I needed to fasten were deeper set than my electric drill could handle so I had to buy a manual screw driver. Aside from that it was relatively easy. It took me about 20 minutes and everything was attached securely. People have mentioned the challenges of attaching the lower handle/attachment holder since it only snaps in. It took me a couple of tries, but once everything was lined up and I heard the snap it was securely attached.

In addition to easy assembly, the set up was very easy as well. I found filling the bladder and solution container to be very easy and not messy at all.

The best part for me though was actually using the machine. I have 5-year-old off-white carpet that for all intents and purposes is basically white. Because that EVERYTHING shows. Every spill, every spec of dirt, etc. I had a lot of grayish stains around the carpet that I had tried to remove with my Dirt Devil Spot Scrubber as well as Resolve spray and other cleaning products. The stains never came out and if anything, the area treated by resolve or other cleaners seemed like a magnet for future stains and dirt. Amazingly using the heavy traffic setting I was able to get these stains out! I was floored because once the carpet was dry I couldn't tell they had ever been there. The only thing that made me nervous during the process was at first the bristles seemed to spread the dirty water around, but by slowly running the machine forward and backward over the stain they finally absorbed this liquid. The machine also did a good job on some fresh stains including a spilled latte and (sorry if this is graphic) dog vomit. The latter took 2 tries to remove, mainly because it's harder to detect if you've fully gotten it than it is with a dark dirt stain, but now looks perfect. I was also amazed how much dog hair/fur the machine pulled out of my carpet that my Hoover vacuum had missed. My dog's breed is supposed to be non-shedding so I was amazed.

Clean up of the machine was also a breeze. It was very easy to dump out the dirty water (And dirty it was!) without spilling it everywhere.

The only nit I have on this machine is that it does leave the carpet quite moist so you have to be careful to leave yourself a pathway out and the machine is quite bulky and a little heavy. I have a one floor condo so this isn't a bit deal, but I would definitely find this harder to lug up and down stairs than a standard vacuum.

Overall though this is a fantastic product. I'm still a bit in awe of how well it works and am now thrilled that I don't have to spend money on a professional cleaning as this works like a dream. I will update this review after I've had the product longer and have had a chance to try it out on other stains and test its durability.